Please convince us not to buy a sailing boat..

[thecommander]

SWMBO and I have been motor boating in the Solent for the past 4 years. We currently own a 20ft cuddy motorboat. The last couple of years we have been spending prolonged periods of time onboard, particular overnight at anchor. Great little boat and great fun, but obviously isn't ideal on 20ft motorboat with very limited facilities. Unfortunately we cannot afford to buy our dream motorboat, a Sealine S34. Even if we could save enough to buy a Sealine S34 (or it's little sister, the S28 or it's even little sister the S23) we probably couldn't afford the fuel costs of a twin engined boat. With the cost of fuel set to rise over the next decade, buying a larger motorboat becomes completely out of reach for us.

Recently I have been looking at second hand sailing boats and to my surprise you seem to get alot more boat for your money. For example we could pick up a 1998 36ft Bavaria Cruiser for around 30k. The condition of these boats is dubious, but even if we had to spent another 5k on repairs/upgrades we would be quids in. I very much doubt we could pick up a 17 year old, 36ft motorboat for 35k. Whilst these sailing boats aren't luxurious, they offer us the space we so much miss on our 20ft motorboat. They offer us the real possibility of having friends and family onboard for prolonged periods. They offer us the possibility of long range cruising (Channel Islands, West Country or even further!).

Are we missing something and can anyone convince us not to buy sailing boat?

 

[Whitelighter]

How about this:

View attachment 53550

http://www.theyachtmarket.com/boats_for_sale/1199523/?searchid=10688923&page=2

Asking £34,950 and a single diesel. 6 berths and a fly bridge. What's not to like.


Or this

http://www.theyachtmarket.com/boats_for_sale/1113438/?searchid=10688923&page=1

£36k with the tax but a 2003 boat.

 

[benjenbav]

SWMBO and I have been motor boating in the Solent for the past 4 years. We currently own a 20ft cuddy motorboat. The last couple of years we have been spending prolonged periods of time onboard, particular overnight at anchor. Great little boat and great fun, but obviously isn't ideal on 20ft motorboat with very limited facilities. Unfortunately we cannot afford to buy our dream motorboat, a Sealine S34. Even if we could save enough to buy a Sealine S34 (or it's little sister, the S28 or it's even little sister the S23) we probably couldn't afford the fuel costs of a twin engined boat. With the cost of fuel set to rise over the next decade, buying a larger motorboat becomes completely out of reach for us.

Recently I have been looking at second hand sailing boats and to my surprise you seem to get alot more boat for your money. For example we could pick up a 1998 36ft Bavaria Cruiser for around 30k. The condition of these boats is dubious, but even if we had to spent another 5k on repairs/upgrades we would be quids in. I very much doubt we could pick up a 17 year old, 36ft motorboat for 35k. Whilst these sailing boats aren't luxurious, they offer us the space we so much miss on our 20ft motorboat. They offer us the real possibility of having friends and family onboard for prolonged periods. They offer us the possibility of long range cruising (Channel Islands, West Country or even further!).

Are we missing something and can anyone convince us not to buy sailing boat?

The wind's too strong

The wind's too light

The wind's in the wrong direction

You spend all your time at 45 degrees

All yot interiors are caves.

 

[annageek]

The wind's too strong

The wind's too light

The wind's in the wrong direction

You spend all your time at 45 degrees

All yot interiors are caves.

Unlike some moboers on here:

The wind's too strong

The wind's too strong

The wind's too strong

The wind's too strong

The wind's too strong



Buy a yacht though, but two words... hull speed!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Are we missing something and can anyone convince us not to buy sailing boat?

How about seasickness? I've owned mobos for nearly 25yrs and never been seasick on any of them but every time I've been out on a sailing boat during that time I've been seasick. I guess the movement is just different. The other characteristics I dislike about sailing boats is that they always lean over, the cockpit seating is always so damned uncomfortable, there's never a sunpad and the deck is always littered with stuff like wires, winches and ropes none of which seem to have any discernible purpose other than to trip you up. However the really irritating thing about sailing boats is that you can't plan to be anywhere at a given time because you're always at the mercy of winds and tides

For me the difference between a saily boat and a mobo is like the difference between a horse and a car. You wouldn't pick the horse if you really wanted to go somewhere

 

[ProDave]

May I offer a compromise, a motor sailor?

More mobo like in terms of accommodation, and probably better at motoring than most saily boats, but it has the sails to play with when you are not in a hurry and fancy something different.

 

[rwoofer]

Well I have both and enjoy both. As has been mentioned many times a Mobo is about the destination and sailing is about the journey and the destination. From experience I would support that.

The only thing I enjoy about a Mobo journey is that you can get it over quickly. However the freedom it gives you to go where you want when you want makes up for that.

Sailing can be frustrating in that your journey often takes longer than you want due to tide/wide direction etc, however when it is right it is truly magical (like the one time I left the Solent, hoisted the spinnaker and didn't drop it until Falmouth 24 hours later). Sailing boats definitely seem cheaper for the space, but only really get comfortable in the bigger sizes. They also seem to present less worries as there is a lot of redundancy in the propulsion and you can touch the bottom without too much worry.

Personally couldn't say one is better than the other, just down to what you really want out of boating.

 

[MapisM]

can anyone convince us not to buy sailing boat?

Why should we?
You have seen what sort of spaces and arrangement sailboats can offer, and even if you are not interested in "real" sailing, you can surely motor anywhere more economically than with any mobo, albeit obviously more slowly.
If you are happy to live with these differences, who are we to argue?

 

[AIDY]

Sails on boats don't last forever and aren't cheap.... If your concerned about fuel costs, sail cost can be similar....

 

[Greg2]

We very nearly made the switch before we got the current boat. Slight difference is that we enjoy sailing as well as the mobo so it was partly down to choice and partly driven by the likely direction of fuel costs in the medium to long term.

We changed our minds and decided to stay with power on the basis that we wanted to do inland as well as coastal and we wanted more comfort than the average yacht provides, although on this point my experience is that you quickly adapt and get used to hard cockpit seating

In the end we chose a motor boat that is suitable for both planing and displacement cruising. We often run on one engine inland and can make 7 or 8 knots at displacement speeds at sea or trickle along at five or six with very modest fuel burn. Alternatively we can make the conscious choice to burn some fuel and get there quicker.

 

[burgundyben]

Sailing boats come with different costs.

Standing rigging replacement every ten years.

Halyards, sheets, blocks, winches to service, wind instruments to fix.

You still have an engine to service, still needs filters and belts although probly less oil.

Wouldn't be difficult to spend a motorboat fuel bill on the above.

Perhaps look at a displacement or semi displacement mobo.

 

[chuzzlewit]

Having recently changed to a Merry Fisher 805 from a Beneteau 35', the differences I find are: much less fuss to get out on the water , increased range , weather less important , slightly noisier , faster , level , more relaxed , more comfortable , much more usable space without climbing steps , ability to go in shallower water , we use the boat much more , battery discharge less of a worry ( but engine failure more of a worry )

 

[Aardee]

As a raggie, my advice would be to not focus on how much boat you get for the money, but how you want to travel on the water. Comparing a 30k mobo with a 30k yacht is like comparing a 3k car with a 3k bicycle. You'll get a far better bike than you will a car, but that's only a gain if you enjoy cycling.

Try sailing (with SWMBO!!) and see how you get on with it. I love it, but appreciate not everyone does.

 

[dragoon]

I recommend to book an experience weekend with one of the yacht schools on the Solent and see what you think to sailing.

We do both and I'm struggling not to buy a sailing boat again at the moment. Motor boating is good fun, but there's something really enjoyable about sailing- the silence is certainly one of those things to like! And sailboats are less fussy about the weather, whereas in a motor boat you find yourself running for port when the wind picks up.

The important thing is to make sure SWMBO is on-board though - don't switch from a bouncy thing to a tippy thing to discover she doesn't enjoy the motion. The missus has to be involved in the decision

Cheers,
Paul

 

[BruceK]

............. I very much doubt we could pick up a 17 year old, 36ft motorboat for 35k. ..........

No you probably couldn't. But you can pick up a 20 year old 36 ft motorboat for £25k. Complete with documentation of full engine rebuilds for both engines 4 years previously for £46k and FSH etc etc. OK, canopy a bit tatty and vinyl definitely needs replacement. I was in the same position as you, and had to hunt around a lot, put in the legwork and be pretty adamant with brokers at what I had as spend. I rejected an awful lot of boats before finding something I could work with, but this one definitely works for me. As for fuel burn, I really worried a lot about that, but as it turns out, it's never as bad as you think it's going to be starting out. In fact now that the option is there to sleep onboard I am actually doing half the miles I used to do in the Cuddy because I'm not rushing back the same day to berth, but instead spend more time out enjoying the destination and anchoring overnight, so my fuel bill has sort of remained the same. There's a shocker.

 

[gjgm]

SWMBO and I have been motor boating in the Solent for the past 4 years. We currently own a 20ft cuddy motorboat. The last couple of years we have been spending prolonged periods of time onboard, particular overnight at anchor. Great little boat and great fun, but obviously isn't ideal on 20ft motorboat with very limited facilities. Unfortunately we cannot afford to buy our dream motorboat, a Sealine S34. Even if we could save enough to buy a Sealine S34 (or it's little sister, the S28 or it's even little sister the S23) we probably couldn't afford the fuel costs of a twin engined boat. With the cost of fuel set to rise over the next decade, buying a larger motorboat becomes completely out of reach for us.

Recently I have been looking at second hand sailing boats and to my surprise you seem to get alot more boat for your money. For example we could pick up a 1998 36ft Bavaria Cruiser for around 30k. The condition of these boats is dubious, but even if we had to spent another 5k on repairs/upgrades we would be quids in. I very much doubt we could pick up a 17 year old, 36ft motorboat for 35k. Whilst these sailing boats aren't luxurious, they offer us the space we so much miss on our 20ft motorboat. They offer us the real possibility of having friends and family onboard for prolonged periods. They offer us the possibility of long range cruising (Channel Islands, West Country or even further!).

Are we missing something and can anyone convince us not to buy sailing boat?

Every boat will have its limitations in one way or another. If you are enjoying your present boat, albeit maybe a little compromised, then you are doing well.
I suspect that what you currently can do with your boat, you might not be able to do with a sailing boat for reasons mentioned elsewhere..wind,tide,time...You do not need to go all the way up to 34ft in one go...you could get a more practical boat perhaps at 28ft, enjoy what you currently do with a bit more space.
Lastly, I think crusing is the best part. Ok, a day out locally is fine , but going new places and the challenges and experiences is a huge step up. The channel is of course something to aim for, but its damn boring...going along the coast is far more rewarding,and you dont need a particularly large boat do do that.

 

[Cbjroms]

I have had both sailing and motor boats. I agree with everything said above but would add that the decision depends upon whether, or not, you like the sailing in itself.

 

[Seastoke]

plus you have to be miserable to sail and it spills u r beer

 

[BruceK]

plus you have to be miserable to sail and it spills u r beer

That's true. If they aren't shopping you to the bizzies for minor infractions brought on by speed jealousy they feel a bit deflated.

 

[Ripster]

Agree with many of the comments already. We swapped to sail from a planing MOBO about 4 years ago as we got bored with being stuck in port if the wind picked up a bit and rushing from A to B. We tried sailing and loved it, so much more to do and think about and we have now started race crewing which is a whole new world again. Sailing has taught us about how to handle a far greater range of conditions, (you can't run away!) use tides effectively and use free fuel (wind) to travel about. Cost-wise for us so far, the savings in fuel and servicing costs (twin diesel 33ft MOBO - to 36ft cruising AWB) mean the sailboat is cheaper to maintain per season. In the 4 years of owning the sail boat we have done about 1500 hours at Sea. We used to do about 75-100 hours a year in the MOBO. But that's us.

We do miss the MOBO sometimes when we want to get somewhere on a deadline, but that is really only on short hops where time is tight. Overall, like others, our advice would be to try it (before changing over) and see what you think.